MPAA Shake-UP: Revamps Internal PR Staff

I’m pleased to see that the Motion Picture Association of America finally recognized it’s got a big PR problem. Rarely have I encountered flacks as inept and arrogant as Elizabeth Kaltman (who left the MPAA in late July for Walt Disney Studios, where I will make sure never to work with her) and her boss Howard Gantman, the MPAA’s VP Corporate Communications. Now Gantman will have a boss: He will be reporting to fresh hire Laura Nichols, now EVP Global Communications, as part of a new organizational structure. She has extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. Nichols will oversee all international and domestic communications, media relations, new media development and special events. Nichols previously served as Senior Fellow and Senior Vice President for Communications and Strategies at the Center for American Progress, a leading Washington, DC think tank. As one of the original architects of CAP, she contributed to building the institution and leading its strategic planning since its founding in 2003. Before joining CAP, Nichols was SVP Corporate Communications at Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). She previously was an adviser, strategist and spokesperson for House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt, and served as Press Secretary to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and former US House Rep. Vic Fazio (D-CA). I wish her well.